Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Housing

A bus driver at Sullivan Square. Courtesy of the MBTA.

Guest Column: Yes, Transit and Dense Urban Places Are Safe – Even In a Pandemic

By Nina Weiss and Dr. Tracy A. Corley | Sep 18, 2020 | No Comments

It's now clear that the density of cities isn't a major risk factor in the COVID-19 pandemic. But another factor – crowding within households, which disproportionately affects lower-income and historically marginalized communities in big cities and rural areas alike, is a real culprit.

3368 Washington rendering credit RODE Architects/BPDA

Brewery Landlord Sues to Block Housing for the Homeless, Because Parking

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 11, 2020 | 1 Comment

The Jamaica Plain landlord of Turtle Swamp Brewing is arguing that his tenant’s “ability to find parking” on Washington Street is more important than housing over 200 homeless people. That’s one of the arguments in a lawsuit filing from Monty Gold, the owner of Turtle Swamp’s building at 3377 Washington St., who wants to overturn […]

The city-owned Lafayette parking garage in Downtown Crossing.

City Data Show Almost All Of Boston’s New Housing Is Being Built For Car Owners

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 29, 2020 | No Comments

BPDA planners approved 59 new development projects that include the construction of 5,080 more parking spaces in the City of Boston.

A conceptual aerial rendering of the proposed Suffolk Downs development in East Boston and Revere. Courtesy of the BPDA.

How 'Transit-Oriented' Will Suffolk Downs Be?

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 9, 2020 | No Comments

At a public meeting Wednesday evening, developers from the HYM Investment Group announced that they hope to secure approvals next month for a massive development of Suffolk Downs, a former horse racetrack that straddles the Boston-Revere border adjacent to two Blue Line stations. The developers are touting the proposal as a “transit-oriented” neighborhood that will […]

The pedestrianized section of Franklin Street next to the Downtown Crossing station entrance pictured on May 29, 2019.

Do Millennials Love Sprawl Now? Eh, Not Exactly

By Angie Schmitt | Jul 8, 2019 | 1 Comment

The “return to the city” movement is dead — or so say some news outlets after data from Brookings showed population growth in the suburbs outpacing that of cities, especially among millennials. “American suburbs swell as a new generation escapes the city,” wrote the Wall Street Journal. Mother Jones piled on with “Millennials love the burbs.” […]

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown could soon sign a law increasing the density of housing in the state's cities. Courtesy of StreetsblogUSA

TOD-Da! Oregon Blocks Single-Family Zoning

By Aaron Short | Jul 2, 2019 | 1 Comment

The Oregon legislature passed a bill striking low-density zoning in large cities on Sunday, a move that helps create transit-oriented development.